News

GB news media summary – 17th February

February 17, 2012

A review of the news this morning

Archbishop of Canterbury vs. DawkinsOxford Student – A groundbreaking debate between the Archbishop of Canterbury and Professor Richard Dawkins is to set to take place in Oxford next week. The atheist scholar and the head of the Church of England will be pitted against each other at the Sheldonian Theatre on the 23rd February. While tickets for the event have already sold out, because of its popularity the debate will also be screened in the Physics department via a live video link. For those who cannot make it, the debate will also be broadcast over a live video screen. The title of the debate, which will be chaired by the philosopher Sir Anthony Kenny, is “The Nature of Human Beings and the Question of their Ultimate Origin”.Read more –http://oxfordstudent.com/2012/02/16/archbishop-of-canterbury-vs-dawkins/

Full text: Joint communiqué by the British Government and the Holy SeeCatholic Herald – On 14-15 February 2012 the Secretary for the Holy See’s Relations with States, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, hosted talks between the Holy See and a British Government Ministerial delegation led by the Rt Hon Baroness Warsi. The visit of the delegation to Rome follows the successful visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in September 2010, and marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of full diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and the Holy See, which took place the year of the visit of Pope John Paul II to Britain, the first by a reigning Pontiff. The delegation also met the Secretary of State His Eminence Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, and was received by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.Read more – http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2012/02/15/full-text-joint-communique-by-the-british-government-and-the-holy-see/

Street preacher cleared of anti-gay verbal abuse chargePink News – A street preacher in Somerset has been cleared over charges he verbally abused a gay couple in a town centre. Michael Overd, 47, from Creech St Michael in Somerset, had been accused of telling Craig Manning and Craig Nichol that they were “evil” and would “burn in hell”. But the Christian Legal Centre-funded defence said Mr Overd was simply reading from the Bible as they passed. Taunton Deane Magistrates’ Court had heard that the preacher had previously singled the gay couple out when he saw them holding hands in 2010.Read more : http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2012/02/10/street-preacher-cleared-of-anti-gay-verbal-abuse-charge/

Is nothing sacred? Now Church pensions threatenedPensions.co.uk – The Church of England has warned members of its pension scheme that it may have to sacrifice its final salary pension scheme.